Elephants in Annapolis Royal

Today I have a bit of an oddball photograph from the Annapolis Heritage Society archives. This image was taken at the corner of St. George Street and Drury Lane in Annapolis Royal sometime between 1905 and 1910. The date for this photograph is a bit of an educated guess based on elements (yes elements not elephants) found in the picture.

There are a few things which have brought me to a 1905 - 1910 date. It would have been easy to set a date if I had documentary evidence of a circus coming to Annapolis Royal around this time. Sadly, there was nothing in the archives or the local newspaper abstracts referring to a circus at this time. When there is no documentation, the next thing to do is analyze the image itself.

Now, what in the picture would allow for a 1905 - 1910 date? The buildings in the background on the right side of the picture were destroyed in the 1920 fire. This gives us an excellent end date for when the photograph could have been taken. If the houses were burned in 1920, the picture was logically taken before that time. In the center of the picture are a few faded electrical poles. This provides another clue as electricity came to Annapolis Royal in 1905. This provides a start date for the photograph. A further clue is the clothing worn in the picture. These clothes, especially the ladies, are closer to the styles seen in 1900 than 1920. So, between these elements and a bit of guess work, I can estimate that the photograph was taken between 1905 and 1910.

As for the photograph itself, the image shows elephants walking past the old Annapolis Royal Post Office. They are marching toward the railyard which was located where the Farmers' Market is currently found. As with many of our archival documents, I would love to know more about this one. I would especially like to know which circus was in town.

All for now,
RGS

Another Sunset

Those of you who have been reading for a while are going to start to think I am mildly obsessed with the sunsets over the Annapolis Basin. I have probably posted more than my share of these photographs but, it is a scene that keeps drawing me back. It has something to do with the ever changing tides combined with the cloud formations and the colours in the sky. Depending on the day, the sky can range from gold to orange to purple to red. Sometimes it will be all of these colours at the same time. My repeated photography of sunsets also has something to do with the fact that I am often leaving the O'Dell House Museum around this time of day. When you walk out of work and are confronted with the grandeur of nature, the least you can do is snap a picture.

The first two images in this post were taken yesterday evening. The remainder are a random collection of Annapolis Royal sunset shots that I have taken.

All for now,
RGS

Black Loyalists part 4

It has been a couple of months but this seems like another good opportunity to write an installment in the ongoing story of the Black Loyalists. I would honestly feel like I missed an opportunity If I didn't make a posting on this topic during African Heritage Month. For the earlier posts on this topic, click the Black Loyalists link on the left side of the page.

By legend, Thomas Peters was born to a noble family in western Africa some time around 1738. During his youth western Africa was in turmoil due to the slave trade. Men, women and children were being captured, marched cross country and loaded onto ships bound for America. These ships, where vermin, suffering, disease and death were common, were among the most horrific places imaginable. As with so many others, this was the reality for a young Thomas Peters. Although it is just speculation, we can assume that when he arrived in America Peters was sold at the slave markets in Charleston, South Carolina. This is likely as the first written record for Peters occurs in 1776 when he is recorded as a 38 year old slave of William Campbell of nearby Wilmington, North Carolina.

In 1775 Lord Dunmore, Royal Governor of Virginia had issued a decree whereby any slave leaving their rebel (American) owner would be granted their freedom if they fought for the British. In November 1776, Thomas Peters answered this call and joined the British black regiment known as the Black Pioneers. Peters was eventually advanced to the rank of Sergeant. In 1779 Peters met a woman named Sally who had also joined the Black Pioneers. Thomas and Sally were married later that year.

As with many other Blacks, the Peters had arrived in New York by 1782. It is here that they waited for transport to British lands after the War of Independence ended. After first going to Bermuda, they arrived in Annapolis Royal in May of 1784. Peters quickly took up residence in Brindley Town which is located near Digby. The Black Loyalists of Annapolis County (Digby County had not yet been created) met with many of the same hardships as Black Loyalists in Birchtown. Unequal distribution of rations and unequal treatment by the authorities were again problems. Competing claims for land grants also led to conditions where the Black settlers could not hope to support themselves. In 1785, Peters moved to Saint John, New Brunswick in an attempt to secure land. This was as unsuccessful as his earlier attempts. This begins a period where Peters petitions the Colonial administration for the land that the Black Loyalists were entitled to.

By 1790, Peters had unsuccessfully petitioned the Crown five times. In a growing state of frustration, Peters was given the power of attorney by hundreds of Blacks in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. With this in hand, he proceeded to London, England where he was to petition the Crown directly. On his arrival Peters met the English abolitionist Granville Sharpe. It is through Sharpe that Peters was eventually able to make his presentation to the secretary of state for the Home Department, Henry Dundas. Dundas was presented with documents outlining the ill treatment of the Black Loyalists as well as their inability to acquire land. As a result of these discussions combined with previous work by the Sierra Leone Company, the government agreed to pay for the cost of transporting Black Loyalists to Sierra Leone.

This seems like another natural break in the story. We are getting closer to the long awaited return to Africa. The next installment will deal with the efforts to recruit settlers in Nova Scotia to re-establish a recently destroyed colony in Sierra Leone. I have borrowed today's image from the Black Loyalists: Our History Our People website.

All for now,
RGS

Canada Ski Company

Although it is hard to find visible signs or remnants today, Annapolis Royal has a proud history of manufacturing. Many of our products made sense for a community on the edge of the Bay of Fundy. Salt fish, a staple of many Maritime communities, was produced here. Local son T.S. Whitman even patented a special process for drying fish. We also had an apple dehydrator which, as you could guess, essentially made dried chunks of apple. By soaking them in water, these apple chunks could be re-hydrated for use in pies or other forms of baking. Local sawmills have produced products ranging from hardwood flooring to furniture. Other companies have produced toys, cast iron stoves and even dungarees. When discussing this history with visitors at the O'Dell House Museum, there is always one company which makes visitors pause. That company is the Canada Ski Company.

While Annapolis Royal does sit in the valley between the North and South Mountains, neither of these geological formations are renowned for their current skiing opportunities. In fact, many visitors from Alberta and British Columbia get a good laugh that we refer to these formations as mountains. More than once I have heard the sarcastic question, "Is the mountain somewhere behind that small hill?" It is for this reason that visitors have trouble believing that there was a ski factory here.

To understand why Annapolis Royal was a logical location, you must consider the type of skiing that was done in the mid to late 1930s. While skiing is an ancient activity in Scandinavia, it is a relative newcomer in North America. By the 1930s, the sport had a following in some areas but it was not a common activity. Downhill skiing, as it is understood today, did not evolve until the capacity for mechanical uphill transportation was developed. In the 1930s, if you wanted to ski down a hill, you first needed to ski up that same hill. In fact, the hills surrounding Annapolis Royal would provide ample opportunities for this sort of skiing. For these reasons, the skis, which have similarities to both downhill and cross country skis, could logically be made in an area with modest hills and without a long history of skiing.

Established in 1932, the business operated under both the Canada Ski Company name as well as Canada Ski and Wood Ltd. The wood for the skis came from local birch trees but hickory and ash logs were also shipped to Annapolis Royal from the southern American states by train. The factory managed to stay in business locally until 1940 when they moved to Montreal.

The Canada Ski Company's skis are actually excellent examples of the type of skis made in the mid 1930s. The tip of the ski has a small wooden block. This block was used to attach a clamp the skis when they were not in use. This clamp would ensure that the ski would not lose its curve or camber. This block disappears on skis made in the 1940s. Like earlier skis, the foot is still attached to the ski using a leather strap. When attached, the heel was still free to move around unlike modern downhill skis or modern cross country skis which attach only at the toe.

All for now,
RGS

Fannie's Recipes Part 5

As you may have noticed, most of the recipes from Fannie O'Dell's 1888 handwritten recipe book are for desserts. There is one notable exception. Today's recipe is for tomato pickles. Having done a good deal of pickling myself, I will recommend that this a recipe for the sake of historic interest rather than one to try. Many historic pickling recipes are not considered safe by modern standards. This is usually because the recipes do not include processing the pickles in a boiling water canner to kill off bacteria. While the recipe may be perfectly safe, the last thing I want to do is make anyone sick.

Tomato Pickles
4 quarts of tomatoes sliced at night
add a little salt
seal tomatoes in vinegar in the morning
add 1 cup sugar
onions and spices

Today's image is another random one from my collections. This was taken before the production of our Tales From A Tiny Perfect Town performance of 5 Stab Wounds in the Governor in October 2007.

All for now,
RGS

The Winter of 1888 / The Azorian

Today is another snowy day in Annapolis Royal. Since the start of 2009, we seem to be having about one day per week where we lose a portion of the day to a storm. While this has become a bit annoying, it is far from the worst winter that we have had. Even within recent memory, the nor-easter known locally as White Juan, which struck in February 2004, left far more snow. That storm, which was named after hurricane Juan which struck Nova Scotia earlier in the year, left somewhere in the region of 80cm of snow on Annapolis Royal. I can remember standing in the middle of the Granville Road and being waist deep in snow.

I felt that I should also dig into the Annapolis Heritage Society archives to produce some proof that we have had worse winters. The winter of 1888 may be the worst on record. That year the waters of the Annapolis Basin not only froze solid, they froze to a thickness of 17 inches (43 cm). For those of you unfamiliar with the Annapolis Basin, I should stress that having the water freeze solid is a very uncommon occurrence. While the water may freeze temporarily, it is unusual for this ice to survive the next tide. Since we have about 30 feet (just over 9 meters) of tide in Annapolis Royal, the turbulence of the moving water rarely allows for a solid ice pack. The top image, taken in 1888, is of the Annapolis Royal waterfront as seen from Granville Ferry. Note the two boys and a dog standing in the middle of the ice pack.

In 1888 the Basin did indeed freeze. The ice was so thick that the steam ship Azorian was frozen solid for four weeks. During this time, the ship had its cargo of coal unloaded and a new cargo of apples loaded. All of these goods were sledded over the ice to the waiting ship with the help of teams of oxen.

All for now,
RGS

Coopering Tools

I am going to take a look at a group of artifacts in the Annapolis Heritage Society's collections today. I am particularly fond of working artifacts. These are the artifacts which have been used to make or build things. My classification working artifacts includes items like shipbuilding or blacksmithing tools but it could also include sewing machines, farming implements or kitchen paraphernalia. It is not so much the artifacts as their connection with the people who used them which interests me. If you spend enough time thinking about them, you can almost see the craftspeople sitting at their benches. These tools are a tangible link to human knowledge which was passed down from generation to generation.

A few years ago the AHS was given enough coopering tools that I could have gone into the business of making barrels. These tools come from a cooperage owned by the Rafuse family in the eastern part of Annapolis County. I was happy to accept these tools as coopering is a trade that interests me. In the mid nineteenth century, coopers were the most common trade in Canada. Barrels were used for shipping and storing a huge variety of goods. Today. with the advent of plastics, the only places that coopers are found are vineyards and historic village museums. I must admit that it makes me sad to see a skill of this sort passing into history.

I was lucky enough to spend the day with one of the coopers at Ross Farm Museum a few years ago. Even though we were working with pre-cut staves, I was astonished at the number of intricate steps it takes to make a barrel. From gathering the staves and winding the windlass to heating and heading the barrel, this is a complicated process.

I have included images of three artifacts in this post. The first is a croze plane. This plane is used to both ensure that the top of the barrel is level and, when you flip it over, to cut a groove so that the barrel head can be inserted. The second artifact is a hoop driver. As its name suggests, this is the tool used to drive the wooden hoops which support the barrel into place. By looking closely you can see the wearing on the end where the hoop driver has been hammered. The final tool is a cooper's adze. This was the all porpose hammer and adze around the cooperage. Note how short the handle is so the cooper can work inside the barrel.

All for now,
RGS

Heritage Weekend and Heritage Tapestries

Today is the Sunday of Annapolis Royal's 2009 Heritage Weekend. It has been a busy time so far but, as always, it has been a pleasure to work with Alan Melanson, the President of our sister organization the Historical Association of Annapolis Royal. For those of you who have been on the candlelight tour of the Garrison Cemetery in Annapolis Royal, you will remember Alan as the guide dressed in Victorian mourning attire. For those of you who have not been on this tour, it is simply the best interpretive tours I have ever seen. Part showman and part historian, Alan weaves a fabulous tour which combines the history of Annapolis Royal with the stories of people burried in the cemetery. Alan has presented this tour to over 60 000 people over the past 18 years. The photograph in this post is of Alan speaking at the 300th birthday party for the deGannes - Cosby House last summer.

On Friday night, there were a couple of historical presentations at ARTsPLACE in Annapolis Royal. The first presentation was by Sherry Griffin of the Annapolis Valley Macdonald Museum. Sherry, was speaking on her new book Middleton: History From the Heart. Sherry gave a very engaging speech about the history of Middleton and was able to share some archival pictures of the community.

Our second speaker on Friday was the aforementioned Alan Melanson. Alan was discussing the creation of the Fort Anne Heritage Tapestry. The tapestry, a project to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Annapolis Royal, was the idea of Dr. Barry Moody. The tapestry consists of four panels which measure 8 feet X 4 feet (2.4 meters X 1.2 meters). Each of these panels pictorally represents one of the past four centuries. Alan discussed how complicated of a process it was to complete the tapestry and the massive volunteer effort which went into its creation.

Today at Fort Anne, we are privileged to have a section of a heritage tapestry being created by our sister community Annapolis, Maryland. This tapestry is being created to celebrate the 300th anniversary of that community. We have been invited to place a few stitches in a section which depicts the four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence. I must admit that my irony sensors were going off when I realized that this particular section had arrived in Nova Scotia. This is after all one of the destinations for those who chose to stay loyal to the British Crown. No matter, I am happy to have the opportunity to contribute to Annapolis, Maryland's anniversary and I will gladly make my stitch. To keep the irony going, perhaps I will sew while while humming Rule Britannia.

All for now,
RGS

Attractions Annapolis

Annapolis Royal and area are branching out in the blog world. Over the past few months, we have quietly been working with a number of our partner organizations to create a blog which will discuss Annapolis Royal as a tourism destination. This blog will feature material from the Annapolis Heritage Society as well as our local Parks Canada sites (Fort Anne, Port Royal and Kejimkujik), the Historic Gardens, Upper Clements Park and our many other local attractions. There will even be some posts by me over there. Our goal is to show potential visitors just how much there is to do in the Annapolis Royal area. Hopefully we can convince a few more people to come to our area this summer or give people a reason to stay a bit longer. This will also be a good source for locals trying to see what is going on in the area.

Tomorrow, at the Experience Digby Annapolis Tourism Showcase we are going to be unveiling our new blog. Since I am going to be busy working at the event, (wearing my Loyalist period costume no less) I am posting a link to the site tonight. So, without further ado, I am happy to present the Attractions Annapolis blog.

Our image today is another somewhat random picture. This one is of three local ladies in costume at North Hills Museum last summer.

All for now,
RGS

Flanders Meadow Camp

This photograph by Frederick Harris shows what may be one of the most interestingly designed hunting camps ever built. The large boulder, probably a remnant of the last ice age, makes an interesting and substantial wall. Boulders like this one are relatively common features of the South Mountain beyond Annapolis Royal. I can only imagine how comfortable this structure would have been to sleep in. At the top of the structure, a wooden chimney allows smoke from a simple fire pit to escape the building. The gentlemen in the photograph, which was taken in 1898, are probably dressed for fishing trout. This photograph is from the Annapolis Heritage Society Archives.

To tie this image to current events, one of the recent developments in the local tourism scene is the advent of bouldering. This activity, which is related to rock climbing, usually sees the climber working without a rope on rock faces somewhat larger than this one. The South Mountain in Annapolis County is apparently an excellent location for this sort of activity.

All for now,
RGS

Fort Anne at Sunset

I like to think that the section of St George Street by the O'Dell House Museum has the nicest sunsets in Annapolis Royal. As much as I would line this to always be the case, there are some locations with equally stunning sunsets. In fact, a few minutes ago I was driving past Fort Anne and I noticed the sun setting behind the Officers' Quarters. The sunset was so colourful that I decided to park the car and see if I could get a few pictures. It was an icy walk onto the earthenworks around the Fort but I was able to get what I was looking for.

For the benefit of those who do not live in Annapolis Royal, the Officers' Quarters are the museum building at the Fort. It is in this building that both the 1621 Royal Charter of Nova Scotia and the Fort Anne Heritage Tapestry are displayed. The building was built in 1797 on the orders of Prince Edward who was then serving as Commander in Chief of the British forces in Nova Scotia. With its three tall chimneys and gambrel roof, this building is an architectural icon in Annapolis Royal.

All for now,
RGS

Fundy's Tides

It is amazing how you can take so much water for granted. Yet, for those of us living around the Bay of Fundy, you can almost forget that we are living beside the world's highest tides. Compared to the upper end of the Bay of Fundy where they get upwards to 40 feet (over 12 meters) of tide, in Annapolis Royal we get around 30 feet (over 9 meters). While this is almost hard to fathom, the tides are something that blends into everyday life. If you don't have a reason to pay attention, the tides can come and go without ever noticing them. Once in a while, it is worth taking note of this force of nature outside our doors.

Historically, the tides would have played a role in the lives of more people in our community. The first mention of our tides is when Champdore, Captian of one of the French vessels to arrive at Port Royal has trouble negotiating the currents of the Digby Gut and runs his pinnace on the rocks. This incident leads the french to build a new pinnace which has been called the first European ship built in the New World.

Later on, a knowledge of the tides would have been essential for those making their living from the fishing or shipping trades. Safe navigation was always of the utmost importance. Loading or unloading of ships could often only happen when the tides were high. For large vessels, upriver ports like Bear River or Bridgetown could only be accessed on high tides.

There are also various stories like that of the barque Annapolis which, for a couple of days, refused to be launched. When the blocks were split out on October 29, 1873, the barque slipped onto the greased launchway but refused to move. The 1000 people in attendance went home disapointed since the Annapolis did not move before the tide became too low for a safe launch. Another failed attempt the next day was followed by the ship only moving 60 feet on November 1st. Days were spent worrying and working. Finally, on November 5th the ship was successfully launched.

These images were taken earlier today from the front of the O'Dell House Museum. They were taken about 6 hours apart. In the bottom image the water is not even touching the Annapolis Royal wharf. If anyone is interested in reading more about the Bay of Fundy, my friend Terri has a wonderful resource in her Bay of Fundy Blog.

All for now,
RGS

Fannie's Recipes Part 4

It must have been the piece of cake that I had at lunch. If it wasn't, something else must have jogged my memory that it has been a while since I have posted a recipe from Fannie O'Dell's handwritten cookbook from the 1880s. I have posted some other information as well as some background on the cookbook in previous posts. To see some of these posts, click the Fannie's Recipes link in the labels menu on the left side of this page. As always, there are no baking or mixing instructions.

One of the things I find very appealing about this book is that the recipes were prepared in this very building. Fannie O'Dell lived in the O'Dell House long before it was a museum. If I were here 130 years ago, I could walk downstairs and hope to find something as exciting as today's gingerbread recipe served for dinner. As gingerbread is a personal favorite, I still to find some when I walk downstairs. Sadly my chances are pretty slim today.

Since I really do not have an appropriate image to go with this post, I thought that I would choose something randomly from my files. This image is of the Port Royal 400th Anniversary Society's float at the 2005 Natal Day parade in Annapolis Royal. In the middle of February it is nice to think of a warm August day in Annapolis Royal.

Gingerbread
1 1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
2 tablespoon
1 pint mollasses
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoon cream tartar
2 cups flour
2 cups water
2 cups sugar

All for now,
RGS

Old Holy Trinity, Middleton

Shortly after making my post on Christchurch in Karsdale, I received an email setting the context of how blessed we are to have four 18th century churches in Annapolis County. In the Canadian Maritimes there are 13 surviving 18th century churches. 12 of these churches are located in Nova Scotia. Of these 12, four are located in Annapolis County. Considering the context, this is really an abundance of old churches

Today's post brings us a little bit outside of my normal boundaries in the western part of Annapolis County. In fact, I am going all the way to the other end of the county and our neighbouring community of Middleton. It is in Middleton that we find Old Holy Trinity Anglican Church which was opened in 1791. This charming little church sits in a grove of oak trees and is surrounded by a cemetery.

Land for the church was acquired by the Parish of Wilmot in a grant by Governor John Parr. Construction of the church began in 1789 under the direction of Rev. John Wiswall who served the Church of England's Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG). As an irrelevant side note, the SPG is possibly my favorite organization names. Legend has it that Rev. Wiswall even did much of the physical work during the construction of the church. Thanks to his work and determination, Rev. Wiswall was named the first Rector of the church. Although the steeple was not finished until 1797, the church was finished enough to allow for services in 1791. This church, like many of its 18th century contemporaries is no longer used as an active house of worship but it is used for various special services.

The building itself is a simple white structure clad in clapboard. The most striking feature of this church is the large wooden keystone window at the back of the structure. I have seen a very interesting presentation given by Troy Wood who did the conservation work for this window. All of the panes were removed and numbered while the wooden muntin bars were repaired. When he finished all of the panes went back into their original locations.

The interior of the church has been hardly changed since the building was finished. The original pulpit and box pews are still in place. It is striking how the simplicity of this building.

There is a large graveyard surrounding the church. This graveyard, which actually continues on the opposite side of the road as well, contains some of the earliest tombstones in Annapolis County. Since this continues as one of the main cemeteries in Middleton, it is interesting to wander around an see the changes in the styles and materials used for tombstones over the last 250 years.

All for now,
RGS

Black Loyalists?

In case some of you missed it, a comment was left a while ago questioning my use of the term Black Loyalist in a few of the posts I have made. Since February is African Heritage Month and I have been meaning to write another installment in the Black Loyalist story, this is a good opportunity to open up a bit of historic discussion.

Essentially, the writer was complaining that the term Black Loyalist was not appropriate as few members of this group were actually loyal to the British Crown. These people were using the British as a way to escape slavery so they were decidedly more interested in freedom than loyalty to the Crown. As these people were refugees, it was his feeling that the use of ther term Loyalist was more to fit Canadian historical ideals than to accurately represent this group.

So, this begs the question, were the Black Loyalists loyal to the British Crown. Except in a very few cases the answer would undoubtedly be no. These were people using the British as a means to escape slavery. Unlike some of the other Loyalists, these were not people who decided for idealogical reasons that they wanted to stay loyal to the British. Many Black Loyalists did fight with the British but this was due to offers of freedom for their services. Even more telling, when given the opportunity to return to Africa, many of the Black Loyalists chose to leave Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone.

The next question, what should this group be called? Nova Scotian author and poet George Elliot Clarke has coined the term Africadian, a clever combination of African and Acadian (for those who do not know, Acadians were the French population who have lived in Nova Scotia since the early seventeenth century). While I do like this term, it is not really appropriate for the generation who arrived in the 1780s. It does not provide much context for their struggles. So, I will encourage any discussion that people would like to have about the Black Loyalists and what they should be called. As a warning, while this discussion is taking place, I will probably use the term Black Loyalists just so people have an idea of who I am writing about.

I have used today's image before but, Rose Fortune is such an icon of the Black Loyalists in Annapolis Royal and Nova Scotia that she deserves to be seen as often as possible.

All for now,
RGS

Heritage Weekend 2009

Ok, I'll admit it. I am cheating today. I had to write a press release for the local media and I am using that as my blog post. To be fair, we are in the middle of a snowstorm and most of the town is shut down so I am happy to get anything accomplished today. Today's photograph is of Kent Thompson when he was speaking during Heritage Weekend last year. By the way, the complete Heritage Weekend 2009 schedule with times and locations is posted on the left side of the blog. Here is the press release.

From tapestries, crafts and guest speakers to tourism, snowshoeing and love, Annapolis Royal’s 2009 Heritage Weekend promises to have something to appeal to a wide variety of tastes. For the fourth year in a row, the Town of Annapolis Royal along with various community groups have joined together to celebrate the vibrant heritage of the Annapolis Royal region.

“We are very excited that we have been able to bring together a variety of events to celebrate Heritage Weekend” said Ryan Scranton, Executive Director of the Annapolis Heritage Society. “Living around Annapolis Royal we are surrounded by heritage every day. It can be easy to forget that our heritage resources are really unparalleled in Canada. Heritage Weekend gives everyone a chance to reflect on what we have as well as to hopefully have some fun.”

The launch for the weekend will take place at ARTsPLACE on February 13 starting at 7:00pm. This evening will feature presentations by Sherry Griffin, author of “Middleton: History from the Heart” and Alan Melanson, President of the Historical Association of Annapolis Royal. Mr. Melanson’s presentation on the Fort Anne Heritage Tapestry will lead into an opportunity for local residents to place a stitch in a tapestry being created for our sister community of Annapolis, Maryland. Stitching for the Maryland tapestry will take place at Fort Anne2-4pm on Sunday, February 15.

Events on Valentine’s Day, February 14, include the Experience Digby – Annapolis Tourism Showcase at Champlain Hall in Cornwallis Park, a snowshoeing workshop at the Annapolis Royal Legion and afternoon skating and kicksledding on the French Basin. To finish the evening off, there will be a Valentines Fundraiser at King’s Theatre called “Recycled Love”.

On Sunday the 15th, the O’Dell House Museum will have a public viewing of its newly acquired Harris Family Portraits from 1-3pm. You can hear the interesting story of how these paintings from the 1840s were saved from being sold out of province. This will also be the last chance to see the exhibit “HildaJane’s Quilts”.

All for now,

RGS

The Rink

Happy Groundhog Day! I hear that our provincial weather prognosticator, Shubenacadie Sam, has seen his shadow and predicted another six weeks of winter. On the same note, it looks like there is another snowstorm forecast for tonight. The reports are saying up to an additional 25cm of snow with a bit of ice and rain mixed in for good measure. For some reason, this sort of report is more fun at the start of the winter than in early February.

Our archival image today is also in keeping with a winter theme. Skating has always been a popular activity in Canadian communities and Annapolis Royal is no different. This photograph, taken about 1900, depicts the well dressed interior of Annapolis Royal's first skating rink. Interestingly, the building had an upstairs promenade which can be seen in the background. The rink was lit with oil lamps hung on chandeliers from the ceiling. This facility, built by George E. Corbitt in 1882, was also used as an exhibition hall and venue for band concerts. The first rink was destroyed in 1905.

A replacement rink was built by politician and millionaire Frank JD Barnjum in 1922. The story told by locals is that the rink was built by Barnjum as a way to get elected to the legislature. It must have worked because he was elected in 1925 but as a member for Queen's County not Annapolis.

Unfortunately, this is not a scene which would be possible in Annapolis Royal today. Since our most recent rink was burned, we have not had an indoor skating facility. For the skating enthusiast, the pond at the French Basin does freeze thick enough to allow for a few days of outdoor skating each year.

All for now,
RGS